I made reference in a recent blog post to Sentencing Council guidelines on the sentencing of mentally disordered defendants in criminal courts.  They are worth reading if you’re trying to understand how a defendant’s mental health has bearing on decisions made about sentencing.  It can affect how prison sentences are determined and the guideline covers […]

In June 2020, a quite appalling terror attack took place in Forbury Gardens in Reading – Khairi Saadallah planned a knife attack and attacked six men, killing three of them.  A senior judge, sitting as Coroner, has now stated the deaths of James Furlong, David Wails, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett were “potentially avoidable” after the conclusion […]

The Office of the Chief Coroner was established in 2014 after new legislation to introduce the role.  You can read more about that role on the Chief Coroner’s website. You can also search for Preventing Future Death reports but if you want to see a selection of those which are relevant to the topics on […]